All posts by z3u9t.icu

Celtic will continue to monitor Airdrie winger Thomas Robert over the coming months after he impressed on trial in recent weeks.

That’s according to an exclusive report from Football Insider, who claim that the Hoops are yet to offer the 20-year-old a deal, or hold talks with the League One side over a potential transfer.

Celtic’s reasons for Robert stall

The Frenchman is out of contract at the end of the season after being watched by Nick Hammond back in December, so could end up joining the club for a nominal fee.

Football Insider claim that Celtic have decided to hold off on tying up a deal for Robert due to the club’s ongoing search for a director of football, as well as a new manager.

There have been reports of a mass overhaul at the club this summer, and it seems the club have decided to halt transfer activity while they sift through the impending chaos.

Transfer Tavern take

It seems as if Robert impressed at Lennoxtown, but holding off on a potential transfer until off-field positions are filled seems to be a sensible decision.

Liam Shaw’s summer move was officially announced on Wednesday, however, that deal was reportedly secured during Neil Lennon’s tenure in the Celtic Park hotseat.

Lennon’s long-term successor and the new director of football may well end up giving the green light to a deal for Robert, who has been involved in six goals this season. However, holding off for now appears to be the correct decision.

According to The Mirror, Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos is reportedly pushing for a move to the Premier League amid interest from Manchester United.

What’s the word?

The centre-back has been heavily linked with the Red Devils for much of the window, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seemingly keen to bolster his defensive reinforcements.

Boss Solskjaer is reportedly looking to bring in a new centre-back to provide cover and competition for the likes of Harry Maguire, Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and Axel Tuanzebe.

And now, it seems that Ramos is so desperate to move to the Premier League, he is getting his agent and brother Rene to pull out all the stops to get a deal done.

It’s claimed contract talks between Madrid and the defender have collapsed, with the Spain international likely to leave the defending Spanish champions in the summer.

Solskjaer’s plan B

Maguire is pretty much guaranteed to start but Solskjaer has struggled to find consistency alongside the club captain, as Bailly and Lindelof are battling to bag the unreserved spot, though there are still question marks over both.

But if United nip and snap up the 34-year-old, who earns around £312,000-per-week at the Bernabeu, they could find the ideal partner for captain Maguire.

Signing Ramos would be a significant upgrade on Lindelof, who has struggled for consistency so far this season – against Liverpool, he was rated as the joint-worst player on the pitch for the Red Devils, along with Edinson Cavani in the 3-2 win at Old Trafford.

Despite his age, the veteran Ramos has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon, as he currently averages more tackles (1.1) and more interceptions (1.5) per match across all competitions than Lindelof, per WhoScored.

Ramos is widely regarded as one of the finest defenders of his generation, with current Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane calling the Spanish international “a complete player” in an interview with SPORTbible.

Ed Woodward, therefore, would be wise to sanction a move for the experienced colossus in the summer as not only would he provide cover and competition for the likes of Maguire, Lindelof and Bailly, but he’d also offer an alternative threat in attack as well, having scored two goals in 14 top-flight appearances this season thus far.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer rubbishes talk of Donny van de Beek leaving Man Utd on loan…

Speaking ahead of West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur at the London Stadium on Sunday, Lilywhites manager Jose Mourinho explained how the Irons have ‘one week to prepare’ and ‘one week to rest’ – hinting it could hand them a Premier League advantage.

Commenting on the Hammers’ superb season so far on Tottenham’s YouTube channel, Mourinho hailed West Ham for doing ‘very well’, but claimed they have a ‘much better chance’ due to their lack of European competition.

“They are doing very well,” said the Portuguese.

“I believe that in the end of the season their position and our position, they are not going to be the same as where we are now.

“One week to prepare, one week to rest, less injuries, less fatigue. It gives them a much better chance.”

As a result of his comments, many West Ham United fans didn’t appear too pleased, dropping their takes in full reaction on social media.

Find all of their verdicts on Mourinho’s admission down below.

West Ham fans react to Mourinho claim

“Team talk sorted for Sunday, cheers mourinho. Bitter boy.”

Credit: @WestHam_Central

“he’s getting his excuses in which means he’s scared”

Credit: @westdan1895

“Getting his waffle excuses in ready”

Credit: @Up_TheHammers

“The man has no class or humility.”

Credit: @ANDAMA73x

“moyes – get it pinned on the changing room wall!”

Credit: @ga02njd

“He does know that over the Christmas period and right through to end of January we were undefeated right?????”

Credit: @TheIronKing_

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this ExWHUemployee update, find out more here.

It’s now been close to a year since Stewart Donald first claimed he’d look to sell Sunderland but we’re not really any closer to reaching a conclusion.

It was reported last month that the Oxford-born businessman had agreed a deal with Juan Sartori and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus but evidently, it’s not been wrapped up yet.

Another interested party is Rich Energy CEO, William Storey.

The former Haas F1 investor has been very outspoken about his desires to buy the football club and after a long-winded interview with The Chronicle, it appears as though he’s already got plans in place for what he’d do at the Stadium of Light.

You have to credit it him because it genuinely looks as though he’s got Sunderland’s best interests at heart. However, all of his words and planning could be thrown out the window if it’s Dreyfus who ends up with the keys to the Stadium of Light.

One strategy Storey wants to implement if he walks through the door is something that falls into recruitment. He admitted last weekend that he wants to bring as many as five players currently at Premier League clubs to the north-east.

Of course, they won’t be established individuals but instead players under the age of 23 that reside in academy sides. Now, this may not sound like the smartest of ideas on paper given their relative inexperience but when it comes to the financial side of things, it’s incredibly cunning.

Sunderland are currently restricted by the EFL’s new salary cap – something the club voted against before it was introduced – and thus, they won’t be able to do too much in the January window.

However, as Storey concludes, these younger players are on smaller wages and would be easier to bring to the Mackems.

If Sunderland aren’t going to sell Aiden McGeady – someone on £31k-per-week – they will need all the financial help they can get. Of course, Storey would bring new investment with him but that’s not going to stop the club from crossing the line in terms of the salary restrictions.

The Black Cats may need to get rid of a few players but it is evident Storey knows the context of the club and how they can get around it.

“Academy players are on much lower money, that’s number one. The average Academy player in the Premier League wouldn’t be breaking the salary cap,” he stated.

It’s very shrewd and Sunderland could well give themselves a giant push towards promotion if they implement this successfully.

AND in other news, Sunderland can find another Semenyo if they swoop for gem with “lots of pace”…

Celtic defender Christopher Jullien testing positive just about summed up this shambolic season for the Hoops and Neil Lennon.

After a trip to Dubai, the Frenchman returned ill and consequently, 13 players have been told to self-isolate as a precaution.

Guidelines state that anyone deemed to have been in close contact with a contagious individual must stay inside for a period of ten days.

On the chalkboard

As a result of that, it means that Celtic will presumably be without a similar list of names when they play Livingston on Saturday afternoon.

Consequently, we could see the pack shuffled again in terms of their starting XI. The Hoops’ attack was far from convincing against Hibs with just two scoring opportunities from inside the box being fashioned.

It didn’t help either that when the Bhoys got the ball in wide areas, their creativity was lacking. Six times they attempted to deliver a cross but not once did the ball fall to a teammate in green and white.

Mikey Johnstone was a good reason behind that. He failed to put in a single cross all game as Hibs right-back Paul McGinn made four tackles and won seven duels, proving an obstacle at every turn.

In the words of Glasgow Live reporter Chris Doyle, “Hibs dealt with the tricky winger well and he was kept quiet for the most part.” Thus, an immediate change must be made if Celtic want more dynamism in the final third.

Unleash Dembele

It might be a stretch to pin your entire hopes on a 17-year-old talent with just 15 minutes all season but the fact of the matter is that Karamoko Dembele needs to play.

He burst onto the first-team scene at the age of 16 but since then, he hasn’t really been provided with a pathway to regular senior minutes.

It’s bizarre when you consider the immense qualities the teenager possesses. He is a dynamo in wide areas and despite his small stature of 5 foot 6, can beat players for ease.

Dembele has tremendous pace and although he’s relatively unproven, throwing him in against Livi on Saturday would not be a bad idea.

The teenager played the final 11 minutes versus Hibs and to quote Doyle again, he “looked positive.”

That’s the very nature of Dembele. The youngster is always keen to get on the ball and make an impact for his team. Neil Lennon said in 2019: “He’s the type of player that you want at Celtic. He gets the crowd off their feet with his football intelligence.”

There may not be an audience watching on at Parkhead this Saturday but he’s the type of character that will have you gleefully clapping from the sofa in your living room.

Just read what Ruud Gullit had to say about him. The legendary Dutchman once claimed that he “looks pretty special”, revealing the young prodigy “is exceptionally good.”

If having 13 players out through self-isolation doesn’t give you an excuse to play the diminutive winger then nothing will. Now is Dembele’s chance to shine.

AND in other news, Lennon could finally axe Celtic stalwart by signing £300-p/w gem “on top of the world”…

After a rather mixed start to the new Premier League season, Newcastle could desperately do with an injection of optimism.The Magpies have seen over the past couple of seasons what a couple of young, homegrown talents can do to life the mood. You only have to look at the two Longstaff brothers to see how the fan-base can rally around the team – Matty’s stunning winner against Manchester United last year will no doubt live long in the memory for example.And whilst Steve Bruce has yet to introduce any new rising stars to his Premier League side just yet, he must surely be tempted to throw Elliot Anderson into the team very soon.The versatile midfielder has started the new campaign on fire for the U23s, bagging four goals in four games and providing one assist too. And his latest performance in the EFL Trophy where he scored twice against Bolton Wanderers surely whetted the appetite of Magpies fans.His knack for breaking into the box and grabbing a goal is something Newcastle currently don’t have in their central midfield options, and it even led to The Chronicle journalist Lee Ryder to suggest that Anderson is “knocking on Steve Bruce’s door now” thanks to his performance.

Reports have further suggested that he has impressed those involved in first-team training, with Allan Saint-Maximin said to be one who has been particularly vocal in his praise of the starlet.

Bruce has already shown he isn’t averse to giving young players a chance like he did with Longstaff last season against United. Doing the same with Anderson may be the key to giving the Toon Army another local face to get behind, and maybe even springing a welcome surprise on Premier League opponents too.

Southampton have confirmed that Jan Bednarek has signed a new contract at the club.

Poland international Bednarek made the move to the Saints in 2017, with him costing the south-coast side about £5m from Lech Poznan. Since then, he has made 85 appearances in all competitions for the club, with him playing every minute of every single game so far this campaign in the Premier League under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

As such, it is a big boost to the club that he has extended his stay until 2025. Currently valued at £13.5m (Transfermarkt), the central defender is 24 years old, and has a big future ahead of him if he can continue to develop at St. Mary’s Stadium under Hasenhuttl.

Upon the confirmation of the news, the Southampton fans were absolutely delighted, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Bednarek news below

In other news, this Saints man could leave the club in January.

According to Football Insider, Bournemouth have turned their attentions to a late move for Aston Villa defender Frederic Guilbert.

What’s the word?

The Frenchman has dropped down the pecking order at Villa Park following Matty Cash’s arrival from Nottingham Forest, with the right-back having only played in the Carabao Cup this season – in fact, he has yet to make a single Premier League match-day squad.

Now, Football Insider claim Bournemouth are targeting a new full-back before the deadline closes on Friday evening, and that the Cherries have been alerted to Guilbert’s availability.

The report adds that the Championship side are weighing up a loan move for the 25-year-old instead of a permanent move at this stage.

Another Suso blunder

Signed from French side Caen in January 2019 for a reported fee of £4.4m, Guilbert has gone on to make 31 appearances across all competitions for Villa.

Last season saw him feature prominently in Villa’s return to the Premier League, making 25 appearances, but missed a number of games following the restart, eventually only returning for the last couple of games.

The 25-year-old proved to be a versatile option for Smith, playing at right-back, right-midfield and even left-back too. Whilst he posted some pretty impressive numbers – he averaged a very fine three tackles and two interceptions per game in the Premier League – he did pick up seven yellow cards and registered 1.4 fouls per match too.

The fact Villa are open to letting him go just a year after he joined says a lot about how former sporting director, Suso, has got it wrong. But with Bournemouth’s interest in the full-back, Johan Lange has the perfect chance to at least get rid of Guilbert temporarily at least.

And in other news, Villa must land this EFL star before the deadline.

Glasgow Rangers opened up a nine-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table on Sunday afternoon after beating Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

Steven Gerrard’s side cruised to a comfortable 1-0 victory over Killie in a result which could have read very differently indeed if certain things had gone their way. Joe Aribo came close to scoring twice, whilst Connor Goldson headed a corner from James Tavernier wide, Ryan Kent tested Danny Rogers and the Killie keeper saved a close-range effort from Cedric Itten.

But the club captain’s penalty proved to be the difference as Rangers recorded their ninth straight win in a row in quick succession in all competitions.

Several players caught the eye with impressive performances but one player stood head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd – Connor Goldson. The centre-back was awarded the ‘Man of the Match’ accolade by the BBC for his defensive display.

Per SofaScore, Goldson received a high rating of 7.8 for his efforts – he won ten out of his 13 duels overall (76%), took 92 touches of the ball, and completed 56 out of 78 passes at a pass accuracy rating of 72%, whilst he made one tackle, six clearances and blocked one shot, which shows that he was a ballast at the back. In fact, if you look at his heatmap, you can see a hotspot of activity in his own half, which suggests that he was the most vital cog in the win over Kilmarnock as he marshalled the defence.

Sky Sports gave the 27-year-old a grade of 8/10, whilst GlasgowLive gave him the same score, insisting that “he’s becoming such a threat from set-pieces” as “his towering header led to Rangers’ penalty”, before adding “he rarely put a foot wrong defensively.”

Once hailed as a “fantastic” player by Gerrard, Goldson has returned the favour with a string of strong performances since the start of the season.

The defender has started every single game for the Gers in the Scottish Premiership this season so far, whilst he is averaging 1.1 tackles and 3.2 clearances per game, via WhoScored. He also bagged a brace in the first Old Firm derby of the season, which just goes to show that he is a useful attacking threat as well.

Whether it’s a domestic or European competition, the Englishman is one of the first names on the teamsheet. It’ll be interesting to see if and when he will be able to finally catch a break with fixtures coming thick and fast over the next couple of weeks.

AND in other news, Worse than Barker: Glasgow Rangers dodged a bullet in one-time target Isaac Atanga… 

It was a difficult return to the Premier League for West Bromwich Albion, as they lost 3-0 against Leicester City, following a header from Timothy Castagne and two Jamie Vardy penalties.

There were some players from the home side that still put in positive performances, while others struggled – Callum Robinson sits firmly in the latter category.

The single toughest football logo quiz of all time…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

The £4.95m-rated ace looked isolated at times, with Slaven Bilic opting to deploy a 5-4-1 formation, and he didn’t do enough to get involved in the game. At times, it seemed as though his teammates were waiting for him to make runs in behind which didn’t come.

This level of ineffectiveness can be seen through his statistics from the game, as the 25-year-old didn’t get any shots off or contribute with any tackles or interceptions. He also failed to make any dribbles, while he was dispossessed twice.

In addition, he won one aerial duel and attempted just seven passes, six of which were completed, not managing to make any key passes.

There will be better games for Robinson, and West Brom, though this first taste of football back in the Premier League was a very forgettable one for the forward.

The Baggies have Everton and Chelsea coming up next in the league, so if he is to stay in the team, Robinson may need to find a way of making more of limited opportunities.